What holds you back? Is it doubt? Low self-esteem? A lack of confidence? Are you worried what others will say because you do it differently than they do?
Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will. So from this day forward fear less, dominate more. Stop caring and comparing. No one’s opinion matters, but your own. And whether you run a mile in 7 minutes or 17 minutes, be proud of yourself. You still ran that mile. The most important thing is not to be scared to be a beginner. It’s not how good you are. It’s how good you want to be. As long as you believe in yourself you will get there.
Wilma Rudolph, once named the “fastest woman in history”, Female Athlete of the year in 1960, and 4 time olympic medalist was born with every circumstance against her. She not only went on to break records, but became an inspiration and changed the history of track and field. There’s a lot you can learn from her story.
Wilma was born premature in June 1940, Tennessee. Being number 20 of 22 children and before the abolition of segregation laws, growing up wasn’t easy. On top of this at the age of 4 Wilma contracted polio. After spending years with her leg in a brace doctors told her she would never walk again. But Wilma did not accept this.
Wilma’s achievements weren’t just recognised on the track, she broke gender barriers in field events, and became an inspiration for generations of African-American Athletes, with the United States Postal Service even featuring her face on a 2004 23 cent stamp.
Nothing stopped her. Doctors said she wouldn’t walk again. Wilma decided that she would run instead.
If there’s one thing you can take from this, it’s that everyone starts somewhere. Every single person will be a beginner at something. But only those who keep going can and will become good at it. You were born to run. And even more importantly, you were born to achieve. So put up with the pain. Take the first step. Forget about your fear and disregard other’s opinions. Trust in your potential.
You got this.
